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Klobuchar hopes for 'grace period' before 2012 campaign

Democrat Amy Klobuchar won a blowout victory
in her first run for the U.S. Senate. Twenty-one months before her
next election, she has about $1.6 million in the bank, a minimal
campaign operation and no declared opponents.

That suits Minnesota's 50-year-old senior senator just fine.

In an interview with The Associated Press Friday, Klobuchar said
she hopes for a "grace period" before the 2012 campaign season
kicks off. Her race will have top statewide billing during a
presidential year when the entire Legislature is also on the
ballot. She won in 2006 with 58 percent of the vote, beating
Republican Mark Kennedy by 20 points.

"If I just spent all my time worrying about who was going to
run against me or campaigning, I wouldn't do my job, and so I am
focused on my job," Klobuchar said, after touring computer labs
and a machine shop at Anoka Technical College as she pushes a
bipartisan bill aimed at improving the job market.

She added: "There'll be an opponent, and you know, I'll just
deal with it when it happens."

National and state Republicans have been attacking Klobuchar for
a couple of months over her support for President Barack Obama's
initiatives, including the economic stimulus, the health care
overhaul and emissions control legislation.

The state GOP started a
website, amyfacts.com, painting her as a far-left liberal and tying
her voting record to Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who won his seat
by 312 votes after an eight-month recount and court contest.

“Sen. Klobuchar, by voting with Al Franken with the liberals in the Senate, is going to make herself vulnerable in this race.”

Tony Sutton, Minnesota GOP Party chair

Meanwhile, Klobuchar's office regularly touts bipartisan bills
and consumer-friendly issues she works on, ranging from food safety
to anti-stalking laws. The former Hennepin County prosecutor has
been all over Minnesota in the past month talking up the job bill,
co-sponsored by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass.

So far, there's no stampede of Minnesota Republicans eager to
challenge her.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman ruled out a run earlier this week. Several other top Republicans, including former state Reps. Laura Brod and Marty Seifert, and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, told Minnesota Public Radio earlier this week they're not in, either.

State GOP Chairman Tony Sutton said Friday he doesn't expect
Rep. Michele Bachmann to seek Klobuchar's seat, one of 23 that
Democrats will be defending nationwide. Sutton said Bachmann "was
very emphatic to me" that she wouldn't run for Senate next year.

Still, Sutton said he expects a competitive race. He said GOP
gains in the state Legislature and the 8th Congressional District
in northeastern Minnesota and a close governor's race last year
show the state has become friendlier to Republicans since
Klobuchar's first race. He predicted that challengers will step
forward in the next two to three months.

"Minnesota is not a gimme state for the Democrats," Sutton
said. "And Sen. Klobuchar, by voting with Al Franken with the
liberals in the Senate, is going to make herself vulnerable in this
race."

Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers acknowledged that
Klobuchar won't be easy to beat.

"She's very popular. She's very nice. But there are also
differences between the parties and some votes that have been taken
that I think Republicans will disagree with," said Zellers,
R-Maple Grove.

Klobuchar said her campaign ended last year with $1.6 million in
the bank after raising and spending $9.5 million in her first race.
She declined to speculate on who might step forward to challenge
her or comment on potential opponents. She said she pays little
heed to partisan attacks.

"You can call me whatever name you want. I've tried to not go
by labels, but I'm going to just keep doing the work for our
state," she said.

St. Olaf College political scientist Dan Hofrenning said
Klobuchar will likely face a tougher climate for Democrats next
year, compared to 2006, but she is a formidable candidate with a
knack for avoiding political extremes.

"She has shown a uniquely strong ability to tack with
constituents," Hofrenning said.